Am I the only one with 19" wheels?

[cidair]

I went for the 19" because:
- better looks / more stylish
- better ride / comfort (?)
- better grip when cornering (?)
- no extra cost

I´ve always wanted the bigger wheels for all my past cars. Have the 20" 312on my 550. Had the Hartge 21" on my M5 E60.

But this time I decided to stay with the OEM 19" wheels, and hopefully fulfill all the above things.

What do you think? Right or wrong?
Maybe some nice 20" aftermarket wheels .....later on......... :-D

[singularity]

I think you did exactly what you liked. That's all that matters. Especially since you've had 20" in the past and technical advantages of 19", less talk and more action

You know you can upgrade any time, but unless you really feel the necessity - IMO no need.

May I add another 19" advantage:
- less weight

[BMW0412]

Originally Posted by singularity

I think you did exactly what you liked. That's all that matters. Especially since you've had 20" in the past and technical advantages of 19", less talk and more action

You know you can upgrade any time, but unless you really feel the necessity - IMO no need.

May I add another 19" advantage:
- less weight

I think the 19" ones would be heavier, 20"'s only have 5 spoks, 19"'s have like.... infinity?

I think the 20" looks better than the 19" and i also think Jessic Alba looks better than Meagen Fox

[mhh]

The 20" are standard in Australia, but I probably would have added them anyway - for looks.

It is probably relevant that BMW puts the 20" wheels on its show cars and in promotional material but went with the 19" for most of the launch test fleet. The 19" will ride better but in my experience, the larger wheels sometimes sharpen the handling (at the expense of ride). Looks? Well, that's subjective.

[F360]

I went with 19 also and I am very happy with the ride comfort

[nordic@telia.com]

Your choice but for me the 20" look so much better and dont think the ride comfort will be affected so much, my experience.

[sparkyg]

The 20's are standard in Canada too. The 19's are nice. I think the 20's really show off the brakes.

[mhh]

Another advantage of the 19" wheels is that they are fully painted and kerb rash can be more easily repaired than the machined edge of the 20" wheels.

[Aussie F10M]

Originally Posted by sparkyg

The 20's are standard in Canada too. The 19's are nice. I think the 20's really show off the brakes.

Agree on the brakes. I have driven the 19s on the track and they felt great. Mind you, the 20s seem to ride very well on our dodgy Sydney roads

[sparkyg]

Bud, Cdn winters destroy our roads so Sydney cannot be that bad. I'll take Sydney any day. I prob move out west there anyhow. Sydney is a huge city.

[BMW0412]

Originally Posted by sparkyg

Bud, Cdn winters destroy our roads so Sydney cannot be that bad. I'll take Sydney any day. I prob move out west there anyhow. Sydney is a huge city.

We had a warm winter in toronto this year.

[cidair]

Thanks for all the inputs. Appreciate it.

But still one question - are there better grip with higher sidewalls ( same tire width ) when cornering hard like on a twisty road / race track?

I´m thinking F1 wheels / tires. Huge sidewalls / tire flex, tire sticking to the asphalt better??????

[mhh]

Originally Posted by cidair

Thanks for all the inputs. Appreciate it.

But still one question - are there better grip with higher sidewalls ( same tire width ) when cornering hard like on a twisty road / race track?

I´m thinking F1 wheels / tires. Huge sidewalls / tire flex, tire sticking to the asphalt better??????

No expert here, but I've always thought the opposite for road cars. Higher sidewall = more flex and distortion.

Another advantage of 19" wheels is performance. Usually, going up in wheel size puts more mass further from the axle with greater rotational inertia.

[m20]

Hi all, is there anyone know the weight of both 19" and 20" OEM wheel?

[JNoSol]

Go with 20s if you plan on going through a lot of tires. Tires are cheaper on 20s vs. 19s.

[GTR-Dad]

Originally Posted by m20

Hi all, is there anyone know the weight of both 19" and 20" OEM wheel?

i don't have the weights, but BMW tells me the 20's are forged and the 19's are cast. 20's could actually be lighter.

[bimmer man]

Originally Posted by cidair

Thanks for all the inputs. Appreciate it.

But still one question - are there better grip with higher sidewalls ( same tire width ) when cornering hard like on a twisty road / race track?

I´m thinking F1 wheels / tires. Huge sidewalls / tire flex, tire sticking to the asphalt better??????

I was talking about tires with BMW factory racing driver Stian Sorli at BMW driver training for 2 years ago. He said it is much better grip with 19 "than 20". But we ordinary drivers maybe not notice a difference?

[aminub55]

i have 19's on my m5, as i like the look more all the others on the road have the 20's

[sparkyg]

I find my 18" tires on the M3 roll up faster than the the forged Neez 19's and tires.

I think the tire weight and rotational inertia play a big role and 20" tires will be much heavier than 19's. I suspect the 19" wheeled car might be faster on the track. Driving day-day it might not be measurable.

My thoughts only anyhow.

[cidair]

I did a roll on test ( 80km/h -> ) with my old M5 E60 ( Hartge 21" ) vs my friends M5 E60 19" OEM wheels - there was a noticeable advantage for the 19" wheeled car. Took off faster.